“Young people often get left out of the conversation about how to improve the Dayton community,” he said. “If we have a voice in making the community stronger, we will want to continue living and working here as adults.”

Baxter Stapleton is one of seven area high school students on the Youth Advisory Council, which advises the Greater Dayton Youth Advisory Council Endowment Fund of The Dayton Foundation. Created in 2006, the fund is affiliated with both The Dayton Foundation and the YMCA of Greater Dayton.

Through a grant from the Ohio Grantmakers Forum and the Kellogg Foundation, some of these students and YMCA staff were able to attend the 2006 Youth Grantmakers Summer Youth Leadership Conference, sponsored by the Council of Michigan Foundations. The conference enabled the students to interact with and learn from other youth advisory council members and to develop a plan for creating a youth council in Dayton.

“The students returned to Dayton excited about teaching their peers the importance of philanthropy and how their generation can make a profound difference in their community,” said Michael M. Parks, president of The Dayton Foundation.

Jennifer Mueller, the YMCA’s youth and teen development director who also attended the conference, oversees the Youth Advisory Council (YAC), which promotes youth volunteerism and leadership. Many YAC members are alumni of Junior Leadership Dayton, a leadership training program for high school juniors, which The Dayton Foundation helps sponsor.

“Youth Advisory Council members make all the decisions and do all the work,” said Robbin Kane, a Wright State University senior and YAC adviser. “Organizations with youth projects will be invited to apply for a grant, and the students will award their first grant this spring.”

Besides raising $6,000 to date for the endowment fund, YAC has surveyed area high school students to assess community needs. “These students know what the average teenager in Dayton is up against,” Ms. Kane said. “They know that some teens don’t feel safe leaving their house at night because of shootings and other acts of violence. They believe that more youth programs are needed in the community.”

Youth Advisory Council members recently set an aggressive goal to raise $40,000 for the fund by June 30, 2007. They’re planning fundraisers and preparing presentations, based on the needs assessment, to persuade area businesses and individuals to donate to the fund. To challenge and motivate the students, The Dayton Foundation, the YMCA and other local individuals and foundations will provide matching contributions for every contribution the students bring in – up to a total of $10,000.

“Knowing that these two highly reputable organizations were willing to back our efforts boosted our confidence and got us excited about raising the money,” Baxter Stapleton said. “Our affiliation with the Foundation and the YMCA will give us credibility and encourage more businesses and individuals to donate.”

Youth Advisory Council members also will carry out service projects benefiting grant recipients. “We don’t want to just write a check to these organizations. We also want to give our time,” he said.